Venezuela has declared Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar persona grata following talks with President Delcy Rodríguez, reversing the position taken against her during last year’s diplomatic rift, when Caracas also suspended gas agreements with its Caribbean neighbour.
The two leaders met yesterday at Venezuela’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, according to a joint statement shared on Persad-Bissessar’s Facebook page. They described the meeting as the start of a new era in relations and agreed to make official visits to each other’s countries. No dates were given.
“The Venezuelan side indicated that the Prime Minister was indeed Persona Grata in Venezuela,” the statement said.
The leaders agreed on a work agenda covering trade, energy, security, disaster risk management, environmental protection, agriculture, tourism, air links and culture. The statement did not announce a new gas deal or say whether the agreements suspended during the dispute had been restored.
The reversal follows months of tension over Trinidad and Tobago’s ties with the United States. The Trinidad Express, in a report republished by Stabroek News, said Venezuela declared Persad-Bissessar persona non grata in October 2025 and suspended gas agreements amid protests against her support for US military activity in the southern Caribbean.
The dispute had direct implications for Trinidad and Tobago’s energy plans. Earlier that October, the Express reported that Persad-Bissessar had welcomed a US Treasury licence allowing work to proceed on the Dragon gas project with Venezuela, calling it a major gain for her country. The subsequent suspension of gas agreements placed that cooperation in doubt.
The two governments began rebuilding formal contact earlier this month when Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Sean Sobers visited Caracas. A statement following those talks proposed cooperation on trade, energy, agriculture, culture and security. Wednesday’s meeting brought Persad-Bissessar and Rodríguez together to take that agenda forward.
Their joint statement said they had reaffirmed the countries’ longstanding ties and would maintain direct consultations at the highest level. Rodríguez also thanked Trinidad and Tobago for its support following the June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela.
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